Messier Marathon

The Messier Marathon was a success. Friday night the clouds came and went which made viewing sometimes a challenge. Mid Friday evening it clouded over, we gave up, and my friend was halfway packed when the skies cleared up again. From that point on we never bagged it due to clouds, opting to relax in the car until daylight or clear skies – which ever came first.

Early in the Friday evening viewing, we actually saw the zodiacal light! Very, very cool. A first for me. For more information on zodiacal light: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiacal_Light

Saturday night was beautiful but freezing with the wind and moisture in the air. My first marathon and couldn't have found any objects if it hadn't been for an experienced friend. We spied Saturn both nights and it looked great. It's always a bit of an awe-inspiring view. I used my binoculars to view Messier and other objects, and was surprised by the level of detail possible with them. I also looked through my friends and other individuals' telescopes - some which had amazing detail. Above photo is of a compilation of all 110 objects.

Messier marathon definition => Goal of a Messier marathon is to find as many Messier objects as possible during one night or weekend. The Messier catalogue was compiled by French astronomer Charles Messier during the late 18th centery and consists of 110 relatively bright deep sky objects (galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters).

Source and for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_marathon

Last night was the first night of college algebra class. It's an accelerated course spanning eight weeks of Mondays at nearly 4.5 hours each class. Definately a refresher but that makes it fun and enjoyable. Always nice to have something you enjoy and can feel a sense of mastery on – especially when life hasn't felt that way much lately. The refresher is needed and it looks like we'll have 2000 questions for homework each week (ok, more like 100).

Took a break at Scooters Coffeehouse for a late lunch and time to go back to work. Laters!